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GAPIN Seminar, Kampala, Uganda

GAPIN SEMINAR

Kampala, Uganda

26-27 September 2012

A GAPIN seminar has been held in Kampala, Uganda as part of Project GAPIN, funded by the Swedish Government.

A total of 21 Customs officers from 17 African countries – Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – as well as members of the Uganda Wildlife Authority participated in the Seminar. The event was hosted by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).

The resource persons included representatives of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT), the Last Great Ape Association (LAGA), TRAFFIC, the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), UN-GRASP and the CITES Secretariat as well experts from the WCO Secretariat.

The Seminar followed up on a series of practical training workshops for frontline officers, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade and the need to resist corruption.

What came to the fore is the realization by the Directors General of the countries represented that although their primary objective is revenue collection, it is also important to commit to wildlife enforcement and to protecting their respective countries’ natural heritage. The awareness-raising campaign carried out as part of Project GAPIN and by its Ambassadors contributed in no small part to achieving this important milestone.